The Knight family, after some ups and downs, came together to help run a Ninja Gym for their community.

Emmett, being the American Ninja Warrior he was, wanted to bring the outlet to any and all who could want it.

After all, Ninja had quite literally saved his own life when he came home.

Emmett was honorably discharged for the Navy on the basis of being needed at home. His mother had become incredibly sick and his brother was only 17, still a minor in the eyes of the law.

But coming home to assist his family didn't stop the nightmares, the paranoia, and the PTSD from rearing their ugly heads.

He had made some iffy decisions in the early months of his new civilian life. One of which resulted in his daughter.

(Not that he would call her a bad decision, but her mother was a piece of work, that's for sure.)

Ninja Warrior had given Emmett an outlet to use, something to keep him busy while he was trying to keep his mother healthy and his brother out of trouble.

But the Knight family made it through. And they were better for it after the fact. So when the owner of his Ninja Gym came to Emmett with a proposal, he couldn't refuse.

Now, almost five years after that proposal, Emmett was running the gym. He held benefits for the community, ran fundraisers for local schools and had programs specifically designed for those with special needs to safely use the gym.

It was actually what he had stayed so late for. Emmett was in the middle of figuring out a new outreach program for a different community.

Natasha, over their three year relationship, has opened his eyes to more of the Navy than he had ever been around during his service. And there were a lot of Navy families, both on base and off, that he planned to reach with this new program.

“Okay, I think we have a game plan for the actual event. Now we need a liaison for the community and a location.” Emmett ran his hand down his face. Letting out a groan, he slumped back into his seat.

Rick, a manager helping plan this event, looked at him. “Hey, that's a lot more than we had last week. These things don't get planned in a day. It takes time, you know this. Don't stress too much, alright?”

Emmett sighed again. “I know. I've just got a good feeling about this one. I don't want anything to go wrong.” He stood up from his chair, moving to grab his things.

Rick moved towards his friend and boss. “Em, keep the worrying down to a minimum. Your girlfriend is finally in town and your little girl is probably wanting her daddy right about now.”

He took Emmett by the shoulders and gave him a light shake. “Go enjoy time with your girls, Knight. Lord knows you'll miss these moments when Gen gets older.”

Rick was speaking from experience, having a teenage girl himself.

Emmett knew he was right, so he bade his friend goodbye and finally went home. Walking through his front door, he was greeted with the sound of tiny footsteps pounding against the floor.

“Daddy!”

He quickly bent down to grab the young girl sprinting towards him. Swinging her into the air, he laughed at the loud giggles she let out.

“Hi Munchkin. Did you have a good day?”

Genevieve Knight, all of six years old, smiled so large, you could see her missing teeth. Her smile, just as contagious as her laugh, had her father beaming right back to her.

“We went to the beach, I made a castle! But Suzie’s was bigger! Mikey was helping her, but I had Cole helping me. And Miss Turner said she liked mine better, even if it was smaller.”

Emmett had gotten lucky that there was a daycare not too far from the house that would help take care of Genevieve while he had work.

Of course, there were plenty of days she would spend her time at the gym with him. She liked jumping on the soft equipment and many of the regulars absolutely loved her, so she got plenty of extra attention. (Emmett liked to say it wasn't good for her ego, but she was just too happy to be around people for that.)

Gena kept rambling on and on about her day, Emmett nodding along with her. He was on the up-and-up with daycare gossip, as she liked to tell him everything.

Soon, Genevieve had run out of things to tell him and went back to playing with some of her dolls. Emmett took that time to start on dinner, waiting for Amy to arrive.

Amy was a teenager who had been babysitting for him since she turned 14. She loved Genevieve and Gen loved her. They got on like a house on fire, although Emmett often worried it would be his house on fire.

“Gena, dinner,” he called out to the girl, waiting for her to come inside. “Go wash your hands.” She does just that before climbing onto her chair.

“Hey, Gen?” Emmett looked at his daughter. She looked back at him, mouth full of food. He laughed a bit, taking a napkin to her mouth before speaking again. “Amy is gonna watch over you tonight, okay? Natasha is back, so I'm going to see her.”

Genevieve barely swallowed her food before cheering. “Tashi’s back!” It was safe to say that Gena loved Natasha, just as much as Natasha loved her.

Emmett smiled. “We won't be back before you go to bed, but we will be here when you wake up okay? You can see her in the morning.”

Genevieve nodded her head rapidly, before shoveling some more food into her mouth. Just then, the doorbell rang.

Emmett went to the door, finding Amy on the porch. “Thanks for coming on such short notice. Didn't know Nat would be back until yesterday.”

Amy waved him off. “It's no problem. I've got no plans on a Tuesday during summer. Besides, it's getting hot out there. A night with my favorite girl and some movies sounds perfect.”

Amy was literally a godsend for the Knight family. Emmett could not thank her enough.

Genevieve had finally realized Amy was there and bolted from the table. Leaping onto the teenager, she began to regale her with the same stories she told Emmett earlier.

He took another few minutes to get ready before saying goodbye.

“Go get your girl, Mr. Knight. I know you've missed her.”

And God knows he had.

☽☆☾   ☽☆☾   ☽☆☾

The Hard Deck was the best local bar to occupy, according to pretty much everyone in North Island.

All those recalled for this mystery detachment had frequented the bar during their initial Top Gun runs, so it only made sense for them to meet up there again.

Natasha Trace was checking the doors periodically, Emmett planning to meet her there after Genevieve's babysitter arrived. Luckily for her, one of her closest friends was also recalled for this mission.

Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw was someone Natasha was eternally grateful for. They had been in the same Top Gun class, along with Hangman and Coyote. But while those two tended to make somewhat misogynistic comments, Rooster had always backed her up.

In fact, he was one of the only people who actually knew of Natasha and Emmett's relationships.

Unfortunately for both of them, Hangman had finally clocked on to him. "Bradshaw, as I live and breathe.” He comes back to the group, taking the pool stick from Bob just as he's about to take his shot.

"Hangman, you look," he hesitates slightly, "good," Rooster says reluctantly.

"Oh, I am good, Rooster," Hangman says, lining up for his shot, "I'm very good," he says while taking his shot, looking directly at Rooster.

"In fact, I am too good to be true," he continues. Rooster, Natasha, and Payback all look at each other, shaking their heads. She was already set to punch him, and it had only been a few minutes.

"So anybody know what this special detachment is all about?" Payback asks the group.

"A mission’s a mission," Hangman says. "What I want to know is who's gonna be team leader? And which one of you has what it takes to follow me?" He says smugly, looking directly at Rooster.

"Hangman, the only place you'll be leading anyone is an early grave," Rooster says matter of factly.

"Ooohh," Fanboy exclaims

The rest of the group gets quiet as Hangman stands up from the pool table, walking past Natasha and going straight for Rooster.

"Well any man who follows you is just gonna run out of fuel, but that's just your aim Rooster, you're stuck on that perch, waiting for just the right moment that never comes," he gets right up in Rooster’s face.

A few tense moments pass as the two men glare at each other before the jukebox starts a new song.

“I love this song," Hangman says with a smile, smugly ending the conversation.

"Well, he hasn't changed," Natasha says, walking up to Rooster.

"Nope, sure hasn't," Bradley replies

Fanbky nods to the door. "Check it out. More badges."

"That's Harvard, Yale, Omaha, shit that's Fritz," Payback names them all.

"What kind of mission is this?" Fanboy asks the question they had all been wondering.

"That's not the question we should be asking,' she tells them. "Everyone here is the best there is. Who the hell are they gonna get to teach us?"

Rooster looks around after they finish the round of pool. “Hey, is Em coming tonight?”

Natasha nods, sipping her beer. “He should be here soon. Had to wait for the sitter.”

Rooster makes a noise of understanding before he sees the piano. He is quick to unplug the jukebox, prompting boos from the crowd. Sitting down at the piano, shades on ready to play, he messes with a few keys to warm up, and Natasha looks over, knowing exactly what he's about to do.

"Hey guys," she calls out to the others, getting them to leave the new game Hangman had started.

Rooster just smiles at Natasha as she, Fanboy, Payback, and Bob all walk up to the piano.

And just as Hangman, Coyote, and Payback are tossing Maverick out of the bar, Emmett walks into the bar. Lifting an eyebrow at the three aviators, he is quick to get around the situation, not wanting to get in the middle of it.

Rooster makes eye contact with Emmett just as he starts the first few chords, smiling over to Natasha, who is oblivious to her boyfriend coming up behind her.

You shake my nerves, and you rattle my brain
Too much love drives a man insane
You broke my will, but what a thrill

Everybody joins in for that famous line, the entire bar singing it loud and proud.

Goodness gracious, great balls of fire

Natasha turns around at the familiar voice in her ears, smiling as Emmett wraps his arms around her waist to continue singing along with their friends.

I laughed at love when I thought it was funny
But you came along, and you moved me, honey
I've changed my mind, this love is fine

The crowd hasn't stopped singing, always making sure to scream out these words. Natasha and Payback lean in, singing out,
Goodness gracious, great balls of fire

Kiss me, baby,
He couldn't resist, Emmett plants one on his girlfriend, though no one but Rooster noticed. He smiled as he sang the next few lines.

woo, it feels good
Hold me baby, ooh, yeah, you gonna love me like a lover should

The crowd couldn't resist dancing to the song.

You're fine, so kind, I'm gonna tell this world that you're mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!

I chew my nails, I twiddle my thumbs
I'm really nervous, but it sure is fun

Come on baby, you drive me crazy
Goodness gracious, great balls of fire

Then Rooster goes into the famous piano solo, hitting all the notes perfectly. Bobbing his head to the beat, his aviators start sliding down.

The other aviators are cheering him on, dancing to the piano and the happiness radiating off of the entire bar.

Ohhh, kiss me, baby, woo-oooooo, feels good, yeah

Let me love you like a lover should.
You're fine. So kind.
I'm gonna tell this world that you're mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!

Emmett squeezed Natasha’s sides each time Rooster sang the word ‘mine’ cause her to laugh even harder. 

I chew my nails, and I twiddle my thumbs
I'm real nervous, but it sure is fun
Come on baby, you drive me crazy

And as the song comes to a close, once more, the entire bar screams out that oh so famous line.

Goodness gracious, great balls of fire

Cheering erupts from all, so loud you could probably hear it a few blocks away. Rooster stands, taking his bow as the bar chants his name.

It took a little while to calm back down, but once it did, he was finally able to greet his friend.

“Long time, no see Em.”

Emmett shook his head, he and Rooster doing the ‘bro-hug’ before he responded. “I've been busy and you've been in Hawaii.”

Rooster shrugged. “Fair enough. How's the little princess?”

Along with being one of the few people who knew about their relationship, he was one of the even less that knew of Genevieve. While Gen wasn't Natasha's, she loved that girl like her own. And in the line of work she was in, there would be plenty of people making comments she would very much like to avoid.

Emmett smirked as Natasha laughed. “She's had her moments lately, but I think it's because she knows Nat will be here for a longer stay this time around.”

Rooster had to say something. “Aww, she misses you.” He pitched his voice higher but let out a groan as Natasha smacked him in the stomach. (For the second time that night, might he add.)

Their short conversation comes to a quick end as soon as Fanboy recognizes Emmett. “Holy shit. You're Emmett Knight! The Novel Ninja!”

He smiles, as this happens quite frequently. Natasha also smiled, always proud of what he had accomplished in only a few short years. “That's me.”

Fanboy couldn't believe it. “I've followed you since your rookie season. Dude, you're insane.”

Occasionally able to be very modest, Emmett shook his head. “I train a lot. A lot of it comes down to luck, not gonna lie.”

Natasha scoffs, pushing him slightly. “Please. He does train a lot, but it's also a lot of strategy. He just doesn't like to brag a lot.”

He couldn't stop the laugh that came out, squeezing Natasha closer to his side.

Of course, Hangman and Coyote have to make an appearance and a few comments. “Well, who do we have here?”

Payback looks at them in disbelief. “You mean, you don't know who he is?”

The two men shrug, shaking their heads. “Should we?”

Emmett tilts his head. “Only if you watch American Ninja Warrior.”

Coyote recognizes him after that. “Oh yeah. The Novel Ninja, right?”

When he nods, Hangman finally notices his arm around Natasha. “And how do you know our dear Phoenix here?”

Natasha can only roll her eyes at him, wanting to smack the smirk off his face. “We're dating, Bagman. Isn't it obvious?”

That's all Emmett needs to hear to know exactly who this is. Natasha had ranted about him enough, as he was one of the few who could really push her buttons.

“Coming up on four years, if she can stand me for a few more months,” he comments, only teasing the woman.

Coyote lets out a whistle. “Damn, Phee. Didn't realize you had something so serious going on.” He may be best friends with Hangman and make some stupid comments, but he was genuinely happy for her. It was hard to date in their line of work, with their constant relocations.

Emmett smirked, the one that told Natasha he was about to say something to annoy her. “What can I say? She quite literally fell for my good looks.”

She smacked him in the stomach as he laughed at his own statement. It was clearly some inside joke between the two.

The others could see the love between the pair. The look Phoenix had wasn't one they had ever seen before. Even Hangman didn't have a comment.

It was rare enough for one of them to find love. It was even rarer for the women in their work to find it.

But one thing was clear. They loved each other very much. And this mission was going to put that love to the test.

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Word count: 2,811

And we’re off!! Hope this intro was up to y'all’s standard. Natasha and Emmett are honestly so cute and I love them so much.

But don't worry, we will be having comments from the others and Natasha will give as good as she gets.

Novel Ninja will be explained eventually, promise! Also, just imagine the reactions to Genevieve! Cause those are certainly gonna be fun to write.

And FYI, chapters will NOT be this long in the future. I am between 1K words and 2K words, this just got away from me.

So see you next time for some more cuteness and drama! Bye guys!!